A passenger was also killed in the fatal tractor-trailer wreck Wednesday afternoon in which the vehicle, which was hauling 40,000 pounds of ammunition, crashed and caught fire in Franklin County, state police said Thursday.
In a preliminary report, Arkansas State Police said two people were traveling west in the rig on I-40 at the Lone Elm Road overpass around 2:15 p.m. A tire on the front passenger’s-side blew out, causing the truck to lose control, the report said.
The truck caught fire, and crews waited for the blaze to die down so they could clear the scene, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette previously reported. A portion of the interstate was closed for hours, and workers were still dousing some hot spots as of 7:20 p.m.
[FATAL WRECKS: Complete coverage of deadly crashes in Arkansas]
The driver was trapped in the tractor-trailer and died in the fire. When authorities got to the vehicle, they realized there was another person inside the rig who also died, state police spokeswoman Liz Chapman said Thursday.
The two victim's names, ages and cities of residence are unknown, state police reported. Their deaths are the 61st and 62nd on Arkansas roads this year, according to preliminary data.
No one else was reported injured in the wreck, and conditions were clear and dry at the time.
The investigation into the crash is ongoing.
Read Friday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.